


Quarter Quell

by babykpats



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-04-21
Packaged: 2018-03-18 08:12:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3562553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/babykpats/pseuds/babykpats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Mickey and Ian end up in the Hunger Games and they just both want the other to survive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Idontlikemondays](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Idontlikemondays/gifts), [mish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mish/gifts), [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts), [AL13](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AL13/gifts), [snowokay](https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowokay/gifts), [Judy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Judy/gifts), [Emma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Emma/gifts).



> This pretty much goes out to everyone who asked for a sequel.

Mickey was pissed.

He was always pissed after working all day.

He started heading back to his house dragging his axe behind him.

The Milkovich house was, to put it nicely, fucking pathetic. It was incredibly tiny and was threatening to collapse on top of their heads at any given time.

The house would have been too small for all the Milkoviches to sleep in. Mickey can still remember those days where he’d fall asleep in front of one his brother’s armpit and wakeup with his father’s foot in his face.

Now, though, it’s only him and Iggy living there. Collin won the Hunger Games a few years back and him, Terry and Mandy moved into the Victors’ Village. The houses at the Victors’ Village weren’t made for big families so, Mickey was left behind because he was the youngest son and Iggy cause he was the eldest.

Mickey kicked their makeshift door open and found Iggy heating up some sort of soup in a bowl.

“What’s that?”

Iggy shrugged.

“Got any more left?”

Iggy shook his head.

“Fucker.” Mickey muttered. He walked to the corner where a bunch of blankets were piled, Mickey’s makeshift bed. He lifted a couple of blankets and found an apple for dinner.

Mickey lived in District 7. He was 16 and has successfully evaded the Hunger Games for four years. He only took care of himself and he can’t even count the number of times he went to sleep hungry because he didn’t want his name put in more times than absolutely necessary.

His brother, Iggy didn’t take any extra rations as well. Well, not legally of course. He steals what he can to feed himself.

Iggy and Mickey rarely talked, rarely even looked at each other, only their last names and utter poverty holding them together.

Mickey finished his apple and momentarily pacified his growling stomach. He lay back down on his pile of blankets.

~

Mickey was suddenly awoken by Iggy’s loud snoring.

He sat up and muttered a curse as he wipes the sleep away from his face.

He stood up and quietly walked out of the house. It was already dark and the air was chilly but there was no way he can go to sleep now.

He took a walk around and decided to make his way towards the Victors’ Village. Once he got in front of his brother’s house, he picked up a small rock and threw it against a window.

The lights turned on and the window opened.

Mickey walked to the side of the house and climbed up until he reached the window and climbed in.

“The fuck do you want?” Mandy was in her pajamas, sitting on her bed with her legs crossed under her.

“Iggy’s snores woke me up.”

Mandy scoffed and picked up a flask and headed towards the window. Mickey followed.

They grew up around tall trees which they climbed to pass the time so, getting on top of the house was no big deal. They sat side by side when they reached the roof.

“Reaping’s next week.” Mandy took a drink from her flask and passed it on to Mickey.

“I don’t even keep track of the shit anymore.”

“Mick?”

“Yeah?”

“What if you get picked?”

Mickey scoffed. “Fucked for life anyway.”

Mandy sighed. “What if I get picked?”

Mickey froze. Somehow, that never occurred to Mickey.

“I don’t wanna die in that stupid thing.” Mandy whispered.

“You won’t.”

“What if I get picked, Mick?”

“I’ll think of something.”

“Like what?”

“I don’t fucking know! I’ll put on a fucking dress and volunteer myself in your place.”

Mandy’s face was almost split into two with her gigantic smile. “Just don’t wear any of mine, you’ll wreck them.”

Mickey chuckled.

“How’s Iggy?”

“Still an ass. How’s Collin?”

Mandy scoffed. “He thinks he’s fucking king of the world.”

Mickey drank the last of their alcohol and let out a heavy sigh.

_Fucked for life anyways._

~

“Good morning citizens of District 7.”

Dramatic pause.

“As you all know, this year has brought about another Quarter Quell!”

“As an exciting twist to this year’s Reaping, the names of the young men…”

Gesture to the man holding the bowl with the names.

“… and the names of the young women…”

Gesture to the man holding the other bowl with names.

“… eligible to enter the Hunger Games will be mixed.”

Both hands come together in a clap as the two men carrying the bowls tipped the folded pieces of paper into one big bowl.

“Whether it be male or female, two tributes will be picked to join this year’s Hunger Games!”

Wait for applause.

No one budges.

Step forward and reach into the bowl.

“The first lucky young…”

Unfold paper.

“lady is…”

Dramatic pause.

“DEBBIE GALLAGHER!”

Big smile.

~

Mickey let out a small sigh of relief.

He was safe for now.

He looked around to see who the unlucky bastard was when his eyes landed on a red-headed young girl whose eyes grew twice as big as the reality of the situation sunk in.

Almost in a robotic sort of way, she slowly made her way to the center and down towards the stage.

“Debbie! No!”

Mickey looked back to the roped area where the adults were gathered. A brown haired girl with the same big brown eyes was fighting against the Peace Keepers who were preventing her from charging towards the other girl.

“Lip! Ian! Do something!” She screamed towards Mickey’s general direction.

Mickey looked behind him and saw two boys, roughly his age, nervously talking to each other.

“I’ll last longer in there than you, Lip.”

“No fucking way. I’m going in.”

“Lip, I know I can do this.”

“No, Ian!!”

“Why?”

“I won’t let you. I can’t.”

“Well, I’m sorry.”

Mickey watched as the red-headed boy makes his way towards the center. “I volunteer!! I volunteer in place of Debbie Gallagher.”

Mickey smirked.

He heard the other man mutter curses to himself but Mickey gets the feeling that he feels relieved that he doesn’t have to go in.

Mickey’s smirk grew darker.

A small discussion was going on onstage and then they seemed to have reached an agreement.

“Alright, in the spirit of this year’s Quarter Quell, we allow it! Come on over here young man.”

Mickey saw as the boy ran over and hugged the little girl who was still moving robotically, this time towards her previous spot among the other girls her age.

The red-headed boy ran up the stage and stood beside the announcer.

“What’s your name young man?”

“Ian. Ian Gallagher.”

“Ah. And Debbie Gallagher is…?”

“My little sister.”

Mickey had to give it to the boy. He did a good job of hiding his fear. If Mickey didn’t know any better, he’d think that this Ian guy actually wanted to be there.

“Alright, alright. Moving on.”

The lady walked on over to the bowl and took her sweet time picking the second name.

“Ah! Another young lady.”

Mickey let the feeling of relief wash over his whole body. He has escaped the Hunger Games again for another year.

The lady gave the crowd an eerie smile. “We might have another champion in our hands.”

Mickey froze. _Fuck no._ _Hell fucking no._

“AMANDA MILKOVICH!”

“Mandy!!” The yell escaped from his mouth before he could even stop it.

Mickey’s eyes were scanning the crowd until he saw his sister’s tear-stained face. He made a beeline for Mandy, ignoring the Peacekeepers moving after him.

“You can’t take her.” Mickey yelled, wrapping his arms around his shaking sister.

“I’m sorry but are you volunteering in her place?” The sugary tone she used almost made Mickey puke.

Mickey froze for a second but when his sister’s shaking got erratic, he knew his answer immediately.

“Fuck yeah.”

_Fucked for life anyways._

~

Mickey felt claustrophobic.

The room he was being held in wasn’t small or anything. It was actually pretty luxurious with expensive-looking tables and plush couches.

Which was exactly why Mickey felt like he was being suffocated.

He kept his feet planted firmly beside the door and he jumped a bit when the door started to open.

Mandy came barreling into the room.

“You fucking asshole!” Mandy launched herself into her brother’s arms.

“I promised not to steal one of your dresses didn’t I?”

Despite the circumstances, Mandy gave Mickey a tearful smile. “Just don’t fucking die.”

“That’s the plan.”

Mickey held onto his sister while the door opened once again. This time, his father and two of his brothers came into the room.

Iggy made his way to the couch and sat down, savoring the feeling of parking his ass on something other than a measly blanket laying on the ground.

Terry and Collin walked up to the two hugging Milkoviches.

“Don’t fuck this up.” Terry grumbled before exiting the room.

Collin slapped his brother on the shoulder. “Don’t trust anyone. Save your own ass” Collin warned and followed his father out.

Iggy begrudgingly left the couch and stood before Mandy and Mickey.

“You gonna say something, asshole?” Mickey provoked.

Iggy just shrugged. “Fuck do I care, shitface. If you win, I got me a room in fucking Victors’ Village. If you lose, I got the house all to myself.”

Mickey sighed. It was his fault for expecting more from his stupid ass brother.

Iggy awkwardly cleared his throat. “Would be nice, though, to get to sleep on a bed for once in my fucked up life.”

Mickey smiled.

~

Mickey walked into the train. It was huge and Mickey literally did not know where to stand.

“Hi dearies, I’m Susan and this is Griffin your mentor.”

Mickey eyed Griffin. He had big, strong arms and a tan tinge to his skin, features that were typical of someone from District 7.

Griffin merely grunted in greeting.

They were then ushered into a dining room overflowing with food.

In the back of his mind, Mickey knew that all this was short-lived. He was gonna die soon. But the fact that he hasn’t had a decent meal in ages overtook his mind and he headed straight for the food.

Mickey had to grin when he saw that the Gallagher kid did the same.

~

Mickey sat on the bench waiting for his turn. All the other tributes were seated around him and Ian was right beside him.

All Mickey knew was that they were supposed to walk through those doors and do some shit with the weapons.

Honestly, he couldn’t be bothered.

He has long ago accepted the fact that there was no way in hell Mickey was gonna win this shit. The careers were ripped as fuck and the ones from district 11 and 12 were sleazy as shit, everyone in between were either smart as hell or bulked up in their asses.

It seemed to Mickey that everyone, even Gallagher, had an edge in this game except for Mickey. But that was okay. Mickey was fucked for life anyways.

“District 7.” The purple-haired lady yelled from the door.

Mickey sighed and stood up immediately. Might as well get this shit over with.

He stepped into the room and immediately felt uncomfortable, a feeling that he’s been dealing with a lot these days.

Mickey looked around and saw the people on the platform eyeing him curiously. Mickey sighed and headed over to the table full of knives.

Knives were something he knew how to handle. He picked a butterfly knife, a nicer version of the one he had back at home, and flicked it open and close in his hand, trying to get used to the weight of it.

He picked up three more knives and he was about to throw them all towards the target when he got a better idea.

Mickey pocketed all of the knives and walked towards the smooth metal column that was supporting the ceiling.

The trees he used to climb at home weren’t this smooth but it wasn’t something he couldn’t do. He took off his shirt and wrapped it around the column and pulled on either ends of the shirts and wrapped his legs around the column.

He pulled on the shirt while he shimmied up using his legs and he tightened his legs while he adjusted the shirt a bit higher.

He kept on doing this until he reached the ceiling. He made sure his legs were secure before turning back to face the targets. He reeled his hand back, ready to throw when at the last minute, he decides to change his target.

He hit a mannequin right between where his eyes would’ve been.

He threw another knife and it hit where the mannequin’s heart would’ve been. He took the last knife and smirked before he threw it and it landed right on the dummy’s crotch.

The people watching him broke into applause.

Mickey’s head quickly turned. He forgot he was being watched.

Mickey quickly slid down the column and walked out the room, pissed that his private little bubble had been burst.

~

They were all gathered around the living room. Ian, Susan and Griffin all seated on the sofa while Mickey leaning against the wall. He still thought the sofa was too soft.

District 1 through 6 all went from a rating of 5 to a rating of 10 for the careers.

Mickey sneered at the smiling faces that appeared on the screen. Fuckheads.

When it came to their district, Mickey started to walk away.

“Mickey Milkovich. District 7. Nine.”

Mickey quickly turned around. “What the fuck?”

He saw Ian’s smile directed at him.

_I don’t think this fucker knows that this number means I can kill him quicker than he can kill me._

“Ian Gallagher. District 7. Ten.”

_Or maybe not._

_~_

Mickey stepped into the tube.

This was it.

The platform slowly rose and all Mickey could think of was that as long as there were trees, he’d be safe. But once the platform he was standing on stopped and once his eyes got used to the sunlight, he knew that he was fucked.

All he can see were rocks.

Mickey eyed the Cornucopia and looked for knives or an axe and he spotted an axe and throwing knives somewhere in the middle.

He had no time to think because the bell suddenly rang marking the end of the countdown and the start of the Hunger Games.

Mickey sprinted towards his target but was cut short when a guy three times his size started aiming his arrow at Mickey.

Gunther. District 11.

Mickey knew he couldn’t take down this guy bare-handed, and he had no weapons near him so he grabbed the nearest thing to him, a backpack, and ran away.

“Mickey!! Wait a-Fuck!”

Mickey turned around to see Ian Gallagher with an arrow jutting out from his leg.

_Did this fucker just take an arrow for me?_

He looked at Ian clutching something against his chest with one hand and holding his injured leg with the other.

He had half a mind of just leaving this idiot behind but his pride wouldn’t let him. Whatever reason Ian Gallagher may have, he did save Mickey’s life so he strapped on the backpack, carried Ian Gallagher’s giant ass and ran as fast as he can away from the clearing.

There were big boulders all around. Mickey didn’t know much about rocks but what he did know was that if there were rocks, there were sure to be caves.

He carried Ian as far as he could and when he felt like his legs couldn’t take their weights anymore, Mickey looked around and walked towards one of the caves that he spotted.

He placed Ian down near the mouth of the cave and silently checked out if the cave was already occupied.

“Fuck!” Mickey cursed as he saw someone charging against him.

Rhino. District 3.

Despite his name, the man was bigger than Mickey but not by much. He waited for Rhino to get close enough and Mickey did not even hesitate when his foot ended up right on the man’s crotch.

Mickey threw punch after punch after punch and once the man stopped moving, Mickey threw him out of the cave.

Before anybody else could figure out where they were, Mickey quickly hauled one of the bigger boulders to partially conceal the opening of their cave, leaving a little bit open to let some light and air through.

Once everything was settled, Mickey plopped on his ass and tried catching his breath.

Mickey then looked up at Ian who was gingerly raising his pant leg.

“What the fuck was that Gallagher?!”

“If that’s how you say thank you for when I saved your life, then you’re fucking welcome.”

“Why the hell would you do that?”

Ian gave Mickey a look of disbelief.

“If you got something to say, fucking say it before I kill you.”

“You’re still so fucking clueless, aren’t you?”

Mickey hated feeling like he should know something that he didn’t.

Ian sighed tiredly. “I’ve always liked you Mick. Always.” Ian dropped his head. “I’ve watched you around back at home. Tried to get you to notice me but I don’t even think you knew my name before this whole shit show.”

“Every time we were out in the forest I would see you climbing way too high, getting to places everyone else is too scared to go for and you’d just sit there, on the very top branch and you’d look so peaceful, I’d give anything to go up there and sit next to you.”

“On the rare times you were down on the ground, I’d try to climb up really high or carry all the heavy shit or pretty much do any outrageous thing that would grant me your attention but every fucking time I’d turn back to you, you’re off staring at something else.”

 “I wanted you to notice me. I wanted you to know that I existed. That maybe if you knew who I was, that you’d end up… maybe… liking me too.” Ian shrugged.

“So, when the reaping came and Debbie got picked, I figured, well hell, if I won the fucking Hunger Games there’s no way you wouldn’t know I existed, right? If I won the Hunger Games, maybe you’d think I was cool and strong and smart. So I went for it.”

Ian let out a dry chuckle. “You have no fucking idea how I felt when I saw you volunteer yourself. I wanted to pick you up, strap you down and do anything to fucking keep you from going into this.” Ian let out a deep sigh. “Now that we’re here though, I promised myself that I’ll do whatever the fuck I can to get you out of here alive.”

Ian looked up at Mickey with a scared look on his face.

So, Mickey ran.

Mickey had no fucking idea what the fuck that was so he ran away. His father was fucking watching and if by some miracle, or by some red-headed giant, he’d be able to get out of here alive, his father would personally kill him if he did any of that faggy shit.

Mickey paused to catch his breath. Then he felt a searing pain behind his head. He reached behind to the tender spot and he saw blood on his hand.

That was the last thing he saw before darkness took over.

~

Mickey scrunched his face.

Continuous bells were sounding off in a distance. He reached to the back of his head once again and he felt bandages wrapped around his head.

He slowly opened his eyes and saw that he was back in the cave with a boulder covering half of the entrance.

The bells ended and Ian sat back down and continued unwrapping the bandages from around his leg.

Mickey winced.

The wound has grown twice its previous size with blood gushing out.

“What happened to that?” Mickey croaked.

Ian’s head snapped up and Mickey couldn’t help noticing how Ian’s face has changed. What used to be so open and honest now was hard and guarded.

“Had to run after you.” Ian grunted.

Fuck. “Hurts?” Mickey asked.

“The fuck do you think?” Ian snapped.

Mickey kept his mouth shut as Ian sighed while wrapping his leg in fresh bandages he found from Mickey’s backpack.

Once Ian was done, he carefully hobbled towards a rock and picked something up from behind it. Mickey suddenly saw an axe and throwing knives thrown in front of him.

Mickey looked at them jealously.

Ian noticed though. “Got those for you.”

Mickey’s head snapped up. “What?”

Ian shrugged. “You were always good with knives and axes back home.” Ian sat back down. “I was serious when I said I was gonna get you out here alive.”

“What did you get for yourself?”

“Wasn’t able to get anything. I had to save someone from getting an arrow shot through his ass.” Ian joked.

Mickey frowned. _Don’t trust anyone. Save your own ass._ That was what his brother said.

“How the hell do I know you won’t grab one of those knives and stick them in me while I sleep?”

“I’m giving them to you. You want me to close my eyes while you find a good hiding spot?”

Mickey scoffed. “You’re just trying to get me to think that I could trust you and the moment I do, you’re gonna kill me.”

Ian let out a frustrated sigh. “I ran after you despite my wounded leg, killed the guy who attacked you, lugged your heavy body back here and patched you up. If I wanted to kill you, you would have already been dead.”

It didn’t make sense to him. “What the fuck do you want from me?”

“I told you Mick. I just want to keep you alive.”

Mickey shook his head, this wasn’t going anywhere. Mickey just decided to change the subject. “How many left?”

“15.”

Mickey nodded and decided to just lay back down.

The next time Mickey woke up, he heard someone sniffling beside him.

“What the fuck?” Mickey turned to his side.

Ian was laying on his side clutching his leg with tears slowly running across his cheeks.

Mickey sat up. “You good?”

Ian shook his head.

Mickey moved closer to Ian and lifted his pant leg. “Fuck.” Mickey muttered. The arrow that was shot through his leg was poisoned. The wound turned into awful colors and, judging by the tears coming from Ian’s eyes, it was hurting him a lot. “I don’t know what to do.” Mickey whispered.

“I’m okay. Go back to sleep.” Ian whispered, voice shaking.

Mickey looked at Ian. He was laying on the floor, resting his head on the hard ground. Mickey looked back at where he was laying. Ian must have bunch up the back pack so Mickey could use it as a pillow.

Mickey sighed. He carefully stood up and brought the backpack with him. He lifted Ian’s head and placed the backpack underneath. Mickey grabbed one of the knives and sat near the opening of their cave. The sky was getting dark and Mickey waited until Ian’s sniffles died down.

The sun shining woke Mickey up. When he opened his eyes, there was a small box attached to a small parachute in front of their cave.

Mickey reached out to grab the box and opened it. It was a little pot of medicine. Mickey reached back to rip the bandage off of his head and gently prodded his tender skin. He opened the pot and got a little ointment on his finger. He placed it against his wound and started rubbing carefully.

A menthol feeling came over him and the next time he reached for the back of his head, the wound was gone.

Mickey turned to walk towards Ian. He fell asleep clutching his wounded leg. Mickey’s heart softened. He looked just like a little boy.

Mickey crouched down and woke Ian up.

“Hm?” Ian grumbled blinking the sleep away.

“Gimme your leg.” Mickey whispered.

Ian carefully pulled his pant leg up to reveal his wounded leg. Mickey got some of the ointment and carefully dabbed on Ian’s wound.

“Oww! Fuck!!” Ian yelled.

The color of Ian’s leg went back to normal but the gash didn’t close up. “I’m gonna put some more, okay?”

Ian nodded. “What about your head?”

Un-fucking-believable. Despite the state he was in, Mickey’s injury still came up as Ian’s priority. “I’m good. Now shut the fuck up while I do this.”

Mickey dabbed at Ian’s leg once again.

“Fucking shit!” Ian yelled.

“Shut the fuck up! You want them to fucking find us?!”

“Sorry sorry. It hurts!” Ian placed his fist in his mouth and braced himself while Mickey dabbed the ointment on the rest of Ian’s wound.

“Better?”

Ian nodded.

“Alright. I’m heading out.”

Ian tensed. “Where are you going?”

“Finding something to eat. I’m starving.”

“I’ll go with you.”

“Like hell you are, you can’t even walk on that fucking thing.”

Ian’s eyebrow rose. “You saying you care about me?” He smirked.

Mickey rolled his eyes. “Fuck you is what I’m saying.”

Ian scoffed and took the old bandages and started wrapping his legs again.

“Are you fucking kidding me? That’s gonna infect the fucking thing.”

Ian shrugged.

Mickey did little to hide his impatience. He knelt back down and tore off Ian’s pant leg. He tore it into one long strip and wrapped the fabric around Ian’s injured leg.

Afterwards, Ian started gathering all their stuff and shoved it in the backpack which he strapped on himself.

Mickey looked at Ian. “You really don’t have any weapons on you?”

Ian shook his head. “Told you. That’s all I got.”

Mickey sighed heavily. “If you kill me with this, I’m gonna kill you too before I die, got it?”

Ian took the knife and nodded.

When they stepped out of their cave, Mickey held his axe tightly in his hand while carefully keeping his eyes and ears extra alert.

Mickey felt Ian nudge him in the side. Mickey irritably turned to Ian and saw him motioning his head towards a wild deer. It was a pathetic scrawny deer but between Ian and Mickey, that could be two days’ worth of food.

Mickey lifted a knife and aimed at the same time Ian heard footsteps creeping towards them from behind.

Ian turned around and found himself face to face with one of the careers of District 1, Jade, armed with a spear.

Ian reached for the pointed end of the spear and used the leverage to hit Jade’s head with the dull end. He was about to kick her feet clear off the ground but a sharp pain hit him from the wound in his leg. So he pulled the spear from her hand and punched her clear across the face.

Mickey turned around to see Ian with a spear and an unconscious girl on the ground and quickly picked up the deer and ran towards an opening he saw in the rocks. Ian was closed behind.

When they got into the cave, Mickey ventured deeper into the opening to make sure no one else was there. It was harder than the last time since this cave was dark. Mickey can’t even see his hand if he put it directly in front of his face.

He used his axe to check if there was anyone hiding in the darkness and once he was satisfied, he went back to Ian who has started preparing their meal.

Mickey left the cave to get started on the fire and it wasn’t long until they’ve cooked up the whole deer. When it started to get dark, Ian and Mickey retreated back to the cave.

This cave was colder than the cave they were in and they tried to ignore the chill while they ate their dinner. They drank what was left of the water they got in the backpack and settled down for the night.

“Mick?” Ian said quietly.

“What?”

“Where are you?”

“What the fuck you want to know for?”

“Just… I’d just sleep better if I knew where you were.”

“The fuck is wrong with you?” Mickey snapped but he held his hand out and waved around until he felt Ian. Ian moved so that he was sitting beside Mickey.

“I have two older siblings and three younger ones. I just never really got used to silence.” Ian whispered, like he was trying so hard not to break the quiet surrounding them.

“That why you talk so much?” Mickey answered.

He still didn’t trust Ian but this guy has saved his butt twice so far. But maybe it will take some more time to realize his real motives.

Mickey felt a hand on his thigh and he kept completely still. After a while, Mickey heard Ian’s light snores and he let his body relax a bit. After what seemed like an hour, loud music took over and Mickey counted the number of bells.

7 bells.

There were only 8 of them left.

~

This time, Mickey woke up to Ian’s grunting.

“What the fuck are you doing!?” Mickey opened his eyes to see Ian lugging a huge box into the cave. “What the fuck?! You can’t just drag in strange boxes!! What if that’s a trap?!”

Ian’s eyes grew like the thought didn’t even occur to him. “The note says it’s for me.” Ian said holding up a small piece of paper.

“Well if the note says it, then it’s okay!” Mickey mocked as he grabbed the note from Ian’s hand.

_Thank you Ian._

Mickey froze. It was Mandy’s handwriting.

“Woooahhh!! Someone must really like me!” Ian exclaimed.

Mickey walked over to the open box and saw that they were given everything they need to survive. Medicine, water, bread and even a few weapons.

Ian was grinning so wide that Mickey couldn’t help but smile as well.

Suddenly a sound of a big explosion came from afar. Ian froze and, by reflex, grabbed Mickey’s arm. “What the fuck was that?”

Mickey shook his head and shrugged.

“Should we go out and check?”

“No. Let’s stay here. We’re good here for a couple more days.”

Ian nodded and helped when Mickey started pushing another boulder to conceal their cave. Once the job was done, they sat in silence waiting for time to pass.

“Did you even know who I was, Mickey? Back home, I mean.”

Mickey shook his head. “Nope. I just knew you were one of the millions of Gallaghers we have running around.”

Ian let out a soft sigh. “That’s all I’m ever gonna be you know? A Gallagher. Nothing more. I used to hate it but now, I guess I can’t do much about it anymore.”

Ian’s voice was so raw and honest that Mickey couldn’t help but feel for the guy. “I’m nothing more than a Milkovich too anyway, so I guess we’re on the same boat.”

“No, you’re Mickey Milkovich. You’re the guy who always brings in the most lumber, the guy who can climb the highest in the fastest time and you’re the guy who killed a bird flying ten feet up in the air with a single throwing knife. You’re not just a Milkovich, Mick.”

“You know about that?”

“Yeah, my little brother Carl was the one who saw you. He suffered about ten different knife wounds trying to copy what you did.”

Mickey scoffed.

Ian wrapped his arms around himself. With the boulder covering much of the opening, they were plunged into a pit of cold darkness.

“You good?” Mickey asked.

“Yeah, just a bit cold. Hang on I think I saw a blanket in the box.” Ian reached into the box and pulled out a thick blanket and handed it over to Mickey.

“What? I thought you were cold?” Mickey asked.

“You must be cold too. Here you can have it. I’ll be fine.”

Mickey sighed and grabbed the blanket but he didn’t use it. It took Mickey 10 more minutes of listening to Ian’s teeth chattering before he snapped. “Why don’t we just share the fucking thing?”

Ian moved closer to Mickey and wrapped himself with half the blanket. He sighed when he felt himself enveloped in warmth. He moved a bit closer to Mickey, relishing the body heat, until their arms were flushed against each other.

Mickey decided to try to get some sleep so he leaned his head against the cave walls and closed his eyes.

A few minutes later, just as Mickey was about to fall asleep, Ian turned towards him and whispered.

“Mickey?”

Mickey decided to ignore him thinking that will make Ian fuck off.

It didn’t.

Mickey felt Ian shuffle around beside him and then he felt soft lips against his own. “It fucking sucks that only one of us will survive this thing.” Ian whispered.

Mickey felt another soft kiss on the side of his head before Ian settled back down beside him once again.

If Mickey felt something in his heart at that moment, he tried his very best to ignore it.

~

Mickey opened his eyes. He felt like he was asleep longer than he was before.

The boulder was pushed aside letting the sunlight in and he could see that he was completely alone.

Mickey started to panic.

He got up and ran outside. He wanted to scream Ian’s name but that would be a dumb move so he settled for running up the boulders.

He climbed a particularly steep boulder and he almost peed himself in relief when he saw Ian at the edge of a lake, cleaning his leg wound in the water.

“Hey Mick!” Ian greeted, like he hadn’t just caused Mickey the biggest heart attack by disappearing without a note.

“You fucker. I thought you died, asshole!”

Out of all the responses that Mickey expected, Ian’s goofy smile was probably at the bottom of the list.

“The fuck you smiling about?”

“Nothing.” Ian shrugged, still sending a goofy smile to Mickey.

Mickey pulled out one of the throwing knives he kept in his back pocket and aimed vaguely in Ian’s direction.

“Mick? What are you doing?” Ian’s goofy smile disappeared and he suddenly looked like a scared little boy.

Mickey threw the knife and it hit another tribute right in the face.

Ian quickly turned around just in time to see the tribute fall over the cliff. “Shit.” Ian muttered.

Before Mickey could answer, a voice took over the whole arena.

“Now that there are only four tributes, I officially declare a momentary truce as we call all the tributes to the Cornucopia.”

After the voice disappeared, Mickey suddenly had some kind of bubble force field around him. He reached out to touch it and grabbed his hand back as he felt tiny jolts of electricity travel up his arm. Mickey looked over at Ian and saw that he had his own bubble.

Ian shrugged as he and Mickey started walking towards the Cornucopia.

Once they were there, Mickey saw two other girls walking towards the center, also in the same bubbles as Ian and Mickey.

After they all got to the center of the Cornucopia, the voice came back.

“In the spirit of the Quarter Quell, we decided to change the rules. We decided to have two victors this year!”

Mickey quickly turned to Ian who was sporting a smile too big for his own face. Mickey, once again, felt something in his heart, something close to happiness or relief.

“One of the winners will be female while the other male. Good luck.”

And just like that, Ian’s smile disappeared at the same time Mickey’s heart fell. The bubbles surrounding them disappeared as well and Mickey ran towards Ian.

“Mick?” Ian’s eyes were slowly filling with tears.

“Don’t do anything stupid Gallagher.”

“Just make it quick, okay? And tell my family I love them.”

“Shut up. Just shut the fuck up and let me think for a second.”

Mickey looked over to the two girls trying to kill each other. He didn’t want him and Ian to end up like that. No fucking way. He looked back at Ian.

“I ain’t killing you man.”

Ian slowly reached over to Mickey and grabbed a knife from where he kept it in his back pocket. “I’d have to do it myself then.”

“What the fuck, Ian, give me that!”

But before either of the two can move, two loud gongs sounded. They both turned around to see the two girls who apparently have managed to kill each other.

“Shit.” Mickey muttered.

The voice took over the arena once again. “Congratulations Mickey Milkovich and Ian Gallagher, District 7, for being the victors of this year’s Hunger Games.”

“Fuck.” Mickey muttered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is for everyone who asked for a sequel to the first one. :)

Mickey held Ian’s arm and kept the younger man behind him.

As they were escorted out of the arena, Mickey couldn’t help but feel an overwhelming sense of doom, worse than the one he felt entering the Hunger Games.

Going into the arena, all he was up against were kids, children just like himself. Out here, he was up against the scariest thing Mickey has ever known. He was up against his own father.

Mickey looked behind him and saw Ian stupidly smiling, probably relieved to be out of the arena, unaware of the bigger danger facing them both.

Suddenly, lights were flashing in front of Mickey’s face as photographers eagerly tried to capture Mickey and Ian as they were walking out.

“Put your arm around him.”

“Kiss him again.”

“Hug!”

Mickey’s grip tightened on Ian’s arm. The lights were blinding him and he had no idea where to go.

“Mickey! Ian!”

Mickey was never more relieved to see the sight of puke-green hair. Susan was standing off to the side waving to get their attention. Mickey dragged Ian towards her and she ushered the two of them into the train.

Mickey only let go of Ian once the doors were closed.

“My goodness! You two definitely brought tears to my eyes!” Susan gushed.

Before Mickey could protest, he was brought into a three-people hug by the surprisingly strong Susan.

“Oh my! Let me just freshen up and we can talk about your schedule.” Susan said before vanishing off to god knows where.

“Fucking genius.” Griffin grunted.

“What?” Ian asked.

“How the hell did you know they were looking for a couple?”

Ian’s eyebrows were scrunched.

Griffin let out a dry chuckle. “Drop the act, numbskulls. They wanted a couple to win this year, apparently the fucking Hunger Games ratings were going down and they figured that if they threw some romance bullshit into the mix, more people would watch.”

Mickey turned to Ian, silently asking if he knew about it. Ian simply shrugged.

Griffin kept chuckling to himself, oblivious to their silent exchange. He turned to Ian, “Now tell me, how much alcohol did you have in your system before you got yourself to kiss this fucking mug?” Griffin laughed to himself before stalking elsewhere.

“Mick, I wasn’t lying. I had no idea that was what they had planned.” Ian gushed worried to have hurt Mickey somehow.

“Yeah I know, I know.” Mickey muttered but his brain was all too busy rejoicing.

He had an out.

He could tell his dad that it was all an act to stay alive. Granted, he’d probably be pissed that Mickey didn’t just kill Ian but what-the-fuck-ever. He had his out.

Ian started walking towards one of the armchairs and made himself comfortable. Mickey followed and leaned against the wall nearest the armchair.

“What do you think is going to happen?” Ian murmured.

“Fuck if I know.” Mickey answered.

“I’m sorry, you know. For kissing you while you were asleep. I just- I thought I was gonna die and I- I didn’t want to die without knowing how it felt.”

Mickey felt his cheeks heat up so he lowered his head in an effort to hide his face. “Why me? What’s so special about me that’s worth dying for?”

The conversation was lost when Susan walked in and sat herself down on the armchair opposite Ian. She had a stack of papers on her lap and her eyes started running through them while occasionally sharing information relevant to Ian and Mickey.

“Now, we’re heading back to District 7.”

Mickey’s chest tightened.

“We’ll have you settled in your new houses and tomorrow, bright and early, we’ll start our rounds.”

“Rounds?” Ian asked.

“Why yes. We’ll go around all the other districts. We have to show off this year’s victors!”

Ian visibly paled.

“Why the fuck do we have to do that?” Mickey snapped.

“It’s tradition.”

Mickey and Ian only killed one person each during the Hunger Games, it didn’t bother Mickey all that much, but Ian seemed to be dreading seeing the family of the person he killed.

Mickey placed a consoling hand on Ian’s shoulder.

Susan eyes were immediately drawn to the physical contact between the two. “That’s another thing I want to talk about. Whatever happened to the arena, real or not, will continue out here. I don’t care what you do behind closed doors but in front of the public and in front of the camera, you’re a couple. Understand?”

Mickey and Ian nodded.

~

Mickey and Ian were scarfing down food at the dining table when the train jolted to a stop.

They were home.

Ian all but ran towards the doors and once it opened, he was pulled into tight and warm hugs from his family. Mickey stayed back.

Once they were done harassing Ian, the eldest girl turned to Mickey. “Thank you, Mickey.”

“What are you thanking me for? He almost died trying to save me.” Mickey scoffed.

“Yeah but he didn’t. So, thanks.” She smiled.

Mickey just nodded.

Once all the Gallaghers moved on to the side, Mickey’s family replaced the spot they were in. All the apprehension Mickey was feeling was washed away when Mickey’s eyes landed on Mandy.

“Fuck.” Mickey muttered walking towards Mandy to hug her.

“You’re alive.” Mandy said against his shoulder.

“Yeah, for now.” Mickey scoffed.

Mandy pulled away to look her brother in the eyes. “What are you gonna do?”

Mickey shrugged.

Mickey looked at the rest of his brothers and his whole body froze when he saw Terry. Mickey let go of Mandy and decided to get this shit over with.

Mickey walked towards Terry literally fearing for his life.

“We’ll talk later.” Terry said eyeing the cameras around them.

All Mickey could do was nod.

Suddenly, Mickey was being pulled away from his family and towards Ian. They started positioning them so that Ian’s arm was around Mickey and lights flashed once again.

“What was it like inside the arena?”

Mickey froze and stood still, overly aware that his father’s eyes were on him.

Ian answered. “It’s something I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemy.”

“How did you feel when you realized that you and Mickey were the victors?”

Ian chuckled. “That’s a feeling I wouldn’t wish on my worst enemies either.”

The person asking the question laughed and before he knows it, they were being brought towards the Victors’ Village.

~

“You are a fucking coward! You’re digusting!”

Mickey winced as his father’s foot found his stomach.

Terry has already gone through his whole arsenal of homophobic vulgarities and now, he has just settled on calling Mickey a disgusting coward.

Mickey was numb. He was curled up on the floor with blood dripping everywhere. He could feel his lips puffed up and his eyes swollen.

When he felt his father’s spit land on his arm, he almost felt relieved.

Terry was done for the night.

Mickey sat up and just tried to catch his breath.

Suddenly he felt claustrophobic. He wanted to run.

So he slowly opened the window of his new room and climbed down slowly, wincing at the pain he got from his every movement. He started walking and didn’t stop until he found himself outside their crappy house.

Mickey walked in, heading towards his old makeshift bed.

He carefully laid himself atop the blankets, careful not to add to the damage that his dad had already done. Once he was lying on top of his old bed, he finally allowed himself to cry.

A few minutes after Mickey entered, the door slowly opened. Mickey’s whole body tensed.

“Mick?” Ian whispered. “You in there?”

Mickey sighed in relief. “Yeah.”

“I saw you climbing down from your window and I was wondering where you were going. Fuck Mick! What the hell happened to you?” Ian rushed to Mickey’s side and crouched down beside him.

“My dad happened.”

“Shit. Can I see?” Ian gently turned Mickey’s face from side to side.

“I hate what’s happening.” Mickey whispered, tears continuing to fall silently.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know I just don’t like what’s happening.”

“Which part?”

“All of it.”

Mickey didn’t notice how stiff Ian got. “All?”

“I hate how now we’re like fucking puppets.”

After a few minutes of silence, Ian whispered something so soft that Mickey almost missed it. “You hate me?”

Mickey turned his head to look at Ian. His hair was all over his face and his eyes were too big, scared of being rejected. “I don’t hate you, but I don’t even fucking know you either.”

Ian nodded.

Mickey sighed. “You up for all this shit?”

“Aren’t we supposed to do what they say?”

“Nah man. If we don’t want to do it, then fuck them.”

“I want to. But only if you’re okay with it.”

Mickey shrugged. “Then I guess we’re fucking boyfriend and girlfriend now, huh?”

“We do look good together, though.” Ian joked, straightening out the front page of today’s paper where Ian was all smiles and Mickey looked like a grumpy little man.

Mickey chuckled.

“We don’t have to be together when we’re alone. I mean, it could all just be for show like what they said.” Ian whispered sadly.

“We do what they say in public and when we’re alone, we figure out our own shit as we go along.”

Ian nodded.

“You good with that?”

“I’m good with whatever you want as long as I get to be with you. I mean I don’t really even care if it’s real or not anymore.” I said sadly, more to himself than to Mickey.

“You’re a masochistic piece of shit aren’t you?”

Ian smiled and got up. He got a random washcloth and walked over to the dinky sink and went back to use the wet washcloth to clean up Mickey’s face.

He walked over to Mickey and gingerly dabbed at his face, clearing out the blood. “How about the rest of you?” Ian said, eyeing Mickey’s body, looking for telltale signs of cuts and other injuries.

Mickey shook his head. “Nah. I’m lucky my old man didn’t get his hands on one of my knives.”

Ian nodded and threw the washcloth away randomly before picking up the page he tore off of the newspaper. “I’m sorry.” Ian whispered.

“What the fuck you talking about?”

Ian shook his head. He couldn’t even look at Mickey. “I shouldn’t have said anything while we were in there. I just really thought I was gonna die. I didn’t know that this was what was going to happen once you got out. I didn’t know the things I said would make this happen to you.”

Mickey shrugged as best as he can considering he was lying down.

Ian nodded and carefully folded up the newspaper page. He put it in his pocket before getting up to go back home.

~

“Oh dear! What happened to you?” Susan rushed over to Mickey carefully inspecting his face.

The cuts were still so obvious and the bruises have gone dark.

“You look worse than you did when you got out of the arena!” Susan exclaimed.

Mickey just shrugged.

Susan sighed. “Alright, looks like makeup will take much longer than expected. Where’s your _boyfriend_?”

Mickey winced at the choice of words. “Dunno. I ain’t his keeper.”

Susan leaned until her face was only inches away from Mickey’s. “I think you’re forgetting our agreement, Milkovich.” All the sugary sweetness has vanished from her voice. “If you want to remain blind to the evil that the Capitol is capable of, you will be that boy’s boyfriend, understand?”

Mickey couldn’t do anything else other than to nod.

“Now where is your boyfriend?” Susan asked, a bit more perkily this time.

“Probably in his house.”

Susan patted the top of Mickey’s head. “Good boy.”

Mickey watched as Susan walked out the door and two men approached him examining his face.

~

The two men working on his face were done and Mickey turned to look at the mirror and he was mildly impressed. He couldn’t even see where the marks his father left were.

Just then, Susan burst into the door of his house looking incredibly worried. “Mickey, I think Ian needs you.”

Mickey was about to scoff but the look on Susan’s face had him worried. So he quickly got up and exited his house. Ian lived across the street from Mickey so he crossed over as quickly as he could and entered Ian’s house.

Ian’s house was exactly the same as Mickey’s, except with noticeably more people in it. Once Mickey entered, he felt three pairs of eyes on him. They were probably Ian’s brothers.

Mickey ignored them and headed upstairs to see Ian’s sisters trying to talk to Ian through his locked door.

“Ian in there?” Mickey asked.

The redheaded girl nodded and moved aside for Mickey to approach the door.

“Yo, Red! You good in there?” Mickey yelled.

“Mick?” Ian’s voice was soft and muffled but Mickey heard it.

“Yeah, it’s me. Open up, man.”

Mickey could hear movement from the other side of the door before the door opened and Mickey walked in. Ian immediately closed and locked the door to prevent anyone else from walking in.

“You okay?” Mickey asked, looking at Ian.

“You look great.” Ian smiled.

“You don’t.”

“I don’t want to go Mickey. I don’t want to meet their family. We killed their children, Mick. I _killed_ someone’s kid!” Ian was pacing around the room, working off his anxiety.

“Ian, it’s not-“ Mickey’s head got a little loopy trying to follow Ian’s movements and it was starting to piss him off. “Would you sit your ass down?!”

Ian plopped heavily onto his bed, bouncing a little bit afterwards.

“It’s not your fault okay? Yes, it was your hands that were blood-stained but it wasn’t your choice. It’s the fucked up Capitol’s fault. This world we live in is fucking shitty and we do what we have to to survive. That’s basically how it is. You didn’t kill that boy for shits and giggles, Ian. You killed that boy because he wanted to kill you. That doesn’t make it your fault that he’s dead.”

“Wasn’t me.” Ian whispered.

“What?”

“It wasn’t me he was trying to kill. He was trying to kill you. He was the one who hit you in the back of the head with a rock.”

Mickey’s hand went to the back of his head, rubbing at the wound that was no longer there. “You killed someone cause they attacked me?”

Ian nodded.

“Well, my dad attacked me last night. When can you kill him?”

Ian’s head shot up in shock. He only relaxed when he saw Mickey’s grin. “Fucker.” Ian muttered, smiling to himself.

“Look, whoever you killed, their family will understand that you were put in a situation where you had no choice, he gave you no other option. But if they don’t understand, then fuck them. What’s important is that you don’t blame yourself.”

Ian nodded but Mickey saw that he wasn’t completely convinced, he was still shaking his foot, unwilling to relax.

Mickey sighed and walked over to Ian. He kissed Ian’s lips carefully. “You better fucking relax right now, asshole. Susan’s gonna get pissed as fuck if we don’t start this shit show.”

Ian was sitting, shocked, but he nodded.

Mickey grinned before walking over to open the door. Ian’s two sisters quickly walked in.

“Ian, are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Fi.”

“Are you sure? Do you want anything to drink or something?” The other girl asked.

Ian looked over Debbie’s shoulder to Mickey and smiled. “No I’m good.”

Mickey returned the smile and walked out the door.

~

Mickey frowned while he read through the papers that were handed to him. “We have scripts?” Mickey waved the papers in front of Susan’s face.

They were in the street between their houses with tons of cameras set up before them. Ian looked ridiculous with his hair doing this weird swoosh thing while Mickey feels like he’s sweating all his makeup off.

Susan pinched the bridge of her nose. “Yes, Mickey. Now _please_ just say what’s written on the paper so we won’t have to stay here longer than we have to.”

“I couldn’t stand it. I absolutely could not. The simple thought of losing the man I’ve loved for so long, I can’t see any reason to live in a world without his smile.” Ian placed the back of his hand against his forehead for effect while he read through his lines.

“Fucker.” Mickey chuckled.

Ian grinned and walked over to his spot.

“Alright everybody! 3, 2, 1, action!”

~

Mickey looked through the windows of the moving train. He was standing against glass while he watched the landscapes come to a blur as they sped through Panem towards District 12.

“Why don’t you ever sit on anything, Mick?”

“Hm?” Mickey distractedly turned back to Ian.

“You’re always standing against the wall or huddled in one corner of the room but you never just… sit.”

Mickey shrugged. “It feels wrong.”

“What do you mean?”

Mickey turned back to stare through the window. “It’s too soft and nice and it just doesn’t feel right when I sit on it.”

Mickey heard Ian shuffling around behind him. When he turned to look at what Ian was doing, he had to bite his lower lip to hold back a smile.

Ian patted the spot next to where he was sitting on the floor.

“You’re a fucking dork, you know that?” Mickey walked over to Ian and sat on the floor beside him.

“You’re lucky I’m doing this for you, Milkovich. My butt isn’t used to such an impoverished way of sitting.” Ian tried his best to mimic what he thought the people from the Capitol would sound like.

Mickey laughed. “You sound like an idiot.”

Ian leaned his head on Mickey’s shoulder and Mickey just tried to stay completely still, afraid that he’ll do something to ruin the moment.

~

Mickey’s face hurt but he tried his best to keep the smile on his face. Susan told him to smile so he was gonna smile until his fucking cheeks fell off. He focused on the pain coming from his cheeks. That’s the kind of pain he could handle.

What he couldn’t handle was looking at the faces of the families of the fallen tributes. If Mickey looked at them for longer than a second at a time, he’s not sure what he’ll end up doing.

So, he did his job and kept smiling to keep himself from breaking apart, silently thanking Susan for making Mickey hold Ian’s hand as Ian read through the little cards containing generic condolences addressed to the families.

Mickey squeezed Ian’s hand once.

Ian squeezed back.

Suddenly, it became just a bit easier to smile.

Once they got back to the train, Mickey could only watch as Ian curled himself up in one of the plush couches.

After a couple minutes of silence, he could see Ian’s shoulders starting to shake.

Mickey wanted to walk over and try to comfort Ian but he didn’t know if there was some sort of line that he couldn’t cross.

So he walked over to the spot on the floor where he and Ian were sitting a few hours ago and hugged his knees to his chest.

This was gonna be some long-ass train ride.

~

Mickey blinked dumbly when he felt the train jolt to a stop.

He looked up and saw that they were already in District 11.

“Alright boys, you know what to do.” Susan bent down to arrange Mickey’s hair and checked his face to make sure the makeup was still good.

Mickey waved her away and stood up. He felt Ian settle beside him and he looked over only to see a more somber Ian.

Mickey reached out his hand let out a soft sigh when Ian mirrored the motion.

Mickey decided to ignore the fact that Ian’s hand felt limp in his.

District 11 was painfully similar to District 12.

Mickey decided to forgo smiling and just stare at the ground he was standing on. He couldn’t look at the people before him.

He couldn’t look at the families either despite the fact that Mickey was sure they were all staring at him.

He didn’t want to be here.

He didn’t want to be at home either.

Mickey found himself longing for those dark moments in the cave when it was just him and Ian.

Mickey squeezed Ian’s hand, seeking any signs of comfort.

What Mickey didn’t expect was for Ian to let go of his hand.

Mickey shut his eyes.

No, not now.

Not here.

Mickey did everything he could to delay his impending breakdown.

_Just hold on for a couple more minutes._

Once all the formalities were over, Mickey all but ran to the train. Once he was in, he didn’t slow down. He kept on walking towards the back of the train until he found himself in what looked like the room they kept the cargo in.

He closed the door and suddenly everything was dark. He wedged himself in between two boxes and sat down resting his back against the wall.

A few minutes later, he heard the door open and close.

“Mick?”

Mickey kept silent.

“I saw you come in here, where are you?”

Mickey kept his mouth shut. He was so sure that if he opened his mouth, it will unleash a myriad of emotions that he isn’t ready to deal with, so he simply knocked on the wall behind him, signaling to Ian where he was.

Ian easily found Mickey and sat directly in front of Ian and rested his head against one of the boxes.

The door fell shut and they were wrapped in complete darkness.

Mickey felt Ian’s hand on his ankle.

“I’m sorry for letting go of your hand.” Ian whispered.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know how comfort you.” Mickey returned.

Ian let out a dry laugh. “I’m just… confused is all.”

“About?”

“Us.”

“I told you, man, we just gotta do whatever the fuck they say.”

“No, no. I mean us when the cameras aren’t there anymore.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know what the fuck you want me to say, Ian.”

Ian let out a laugh that made Mickey wince because it sounded devoid of any actual humor. “I think you know what I want to hear Mickey. But that’s not the point.”

“Why don’t you tell me what the fucking point is and we can move on with our shitty lives.”

“What do you want, Mickey? Cause this limbo thing we’re in, it ain’t working.”

Mickey huffed. “How is it fair to you that I’m the one who calls the shots?”

“It’s not.”

“Then why the fuck do you let me?”

Ian sighed. “I already get what I want Mickey. Every time the cameras are on, I can pretend we’re together. It sure as hell isn’t enough, I know, but I’ll take whatever the hell I can get.”

Mickey sighed and scratched the back of his head. “Can we just slow this down and start from the top?”

Ian nodded. “Got it.”

~

They stepped off the train and walked through the citizens of District 10. By now, Mickey is used to the looks of hatred and disgust.

Honestly, all this is chicken shit compared to the looks his dad gives him.

But Ian is shaking. Mickey can feel Ian’s unsteady steps as they walked side by side towards the stage. Once they got to their spots, Mickey stood still and waited for Ian to start the whole spiel.

Except, Ian was completely silent.

Mickey turned his head and saw the tears going down Ian’s eyes as he looked towards someone in the audience.

Mickey followed his gaze.

There stood before them was the family of the guy Ian killed.

His mother was standing there, hair graying and the wrinkles scattered around her face made her look tired, along with the hauntingly empty look in her eyes. Beside her stood a little girl with braids going down her shoulders which were shaking from the quiet sniffling. In the middle was the twin brother, an identical image of the man whom Ian killed, eyeing the two of them with complete and utter hatred.

“Fuck.” Mickey muttered.

Mickey saw Ian slowly unraveling. Mickey closed what little distance there was between him and Ian and placed an arm around his waist.

“You saved my life, Ian. I know that this is so fucking shitty to say but it was either his ass or mine. Do you regret saving me?” Mickey whispered.

Ian shook his head.

“Then go and do what we came here to do. I ain’t going nowhere.” Mickey placed a kiss on Ian’s shoulder and tightened his arm around Ian’s waist.

Ian took a deep breath, wiped away his tears and started reading from the cards.

Mickey stayed put right beside Ian.

~

Mickey felt Ian leaning against him when they walked towards the train. Once they were inside the train though, Ian quickly pulled away.

Mickey was caught off guard. “You okay?”

Ian shrugged. “I’m gonna get some sleep.”

Mickey just watched as Ian went through the door towards the sleeping area they had on the train.

Mickey was debating whether he should give Ian space or just follow him. He let out a deep sigh and walked through the same doors Ian went through.

After crossing a couple more train carts and through a few doors, Mickey reached their sleeping quarters. He immediately found Ian curled up under the sheets, shoulders shaking.

Mickey quietly made his way towards Ian’s bed and placed a hand on Ian’s shoulder.

Ian roughly shrugged Mickey’s hand off. “The cameras are gone Mickey. You don’t have to pretend anymore.”

Mickey frowned. He stood up and walked towards the other side of the room and wedged himself in the corner trying to ignore the pain of the rejection that he had absolutely no right to feel.

~

The rest of the districts went by the same way.

Ian would almost breakdown before leaving the train.

Mickey would talk to Ian to help him keep it together.

Ian would do extremely well in addressing the district.

Mickey would keep his head down while he tried to keep himself together.

They’d walk back together to the train.

Ian would curl up by himself.

Mickey would stand in one corner, losing himself, little by little.

~

Once they got back to the Capitol, Mickey was almost relieved. No more looks of hatred, no more insincere speeches.

They were led into lavish rooms and by now, Mickey welcomed the feeling of being out of place. It was so much better than the feeling he got when they were in the different districts.

They were free for the night and Ian headed straight for the bathroom.

Mickey suddenly felt an inexplicable sadness.

He always felt it when Ian ran off the moment the cameras were gone. Mickey had no right to complain though. None at all. Mickey was the one who asked for it.

When Ian walked back into the room from the bathroom, Mickey eyed him. Ian wasn’t ugly, no. He was extremely good looking. He was tall, well-built and he had this smile.

Mickey lowered his head.

He didn’t know what to do, where to go or how to move.

Mickey heard Ian sigh.

Ian walked over to the light switch and closed the lights. “Better?” Ian asked.

Mickey looked up and, strangely enough, the pseudo-anonymity that the darkness brought comforted Mickey. “Yeah.” Mickey whispered.

 Ian pulled Mickey into the bed and went around to his side and got in. Mickey followed suit but decided to stay above the covers.

“I’m not very good at climbing trees.” Ian said into the darkness. “My older brother used to climb the trees and would pocket the fruits to share with us later. I would stay on the ground and chop down the trees. We had a signal though.” Ian whistled a tune. “Whenever I heard that, it meant that the Peace Keepers were coming and that I needed to distract them while my brother got down.”

“What did you do?” Mickey asked, slowly relaxing.

“I talked to them. My sister Fiona said that was something I was good at.”

“You are.”

“Hm?”

“You’re good at talking. At all the districts. I don’t think I can do what you did.”

Ian remained silent.

“I work alone. I meet the quota alone and I learned how to do it quick enough so that I would have some time left to climb. I spent most my childhood looking for the tallest tree I could find and I marked it. From then on, anyone who went near my tree had to deal with me. I would climb that tree every time after quota and I would just sit there, looking at the sky.” Mickey whispered.

After a few moments of silence, Mickey felt Ian shuffle out from under the covers. Once he was free from the blanket, Mickey felt Ian’s hand on his. Ian moved Mickey’s hand to his arm.

Mickey felt a long scar that went from Ian’s elbow up to his shoulder.

“What happened?” Mickey asked.

“I tried climbing after you. I saw you going up your tree and I thought that that could be my chance to get you to notice me. If you saw how strong I was. I fell from the third branch and my arm landed on someone’s axe.”

Mickey smirked. He felt really flattered. Ian really liked him. Mickey continued to run his fingers up and down Ian’s arm.

“Maybe being together won’t be so damn hard.” Mickey whispered softly.

As Mickey continued caressing Ian, he would remain oblivious to the blush on Ian’s face and the butterflies in Ian’s stomach.

**Author's Note:**

> This ends here. :)) I have an idea for another Hunger Games story but I'll finish all my other hanging stories first before I dig into that one.
> 
> Enjoy!


End file.
